The company says it has already completed tests with a 1:10 unit, and based on the results of the quarter-scale unit, a commercial one could become a reality within the next few years.

Minesto describes the "Deep Green" system as an "underwater kite, comprised of a wing and a turbine which is secured to the seabed with a tether." The unit then "moves in a fast 8-shaped path in the tidal and ocean current".

"Deep Green expands the total potential for marine energy considerably," says Minesto Chief Executive Officer Anders Jansson. "Marine energy is seen as increasingly strategically important in many countries, and especially in the United Kingdom."